Liquid metal reactor and method for treating materials in a liquid metal reactor

• US 20040064010A1
• Filed: 09/26/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clean Technology International Corp.
• Original Assignee: Clean Technology International Corp.
• Inventors: Wagner, Anthony S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,365,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 588/18
• CPC Class Codes: G21F 9/301 by fixation in stable solid media
• CPC Class Codes: G21F 9/36 by packaging; by baling

Abstract

A target material (60) to be treated in a liquid reactant metal is loaded into a containment area defined within a liquid reactant metal treatment vessel (11). The containment area is then placed below the level (L) of the liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel (11). This places the target material (60) in contact with the liquid reactant metal and allows the desired reactions to occur. Reaction products are then removed from the treatment vessel (11). Placing the containment area below the level (L) of liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel (11) may be accomplished by pivoting the vessel from a loading position to a treating position to shift the level of liquid reactant metal in the vessel.

Claims

1. A method for treating an article that includes a radioactive material, the method including the steps of:

(a) loading the article into a containment area defined in a treatment vessel;

(b) while the article is being held in the radioactive material containment area, placing the article in contact with a liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel to decompose the radioactive material in the article into radioactive material decomposition constituents dispersed in the liquid reactant metal;

(c) producing a storage mixture including the radioactive material decomposition constituents dispersed in the liquid reactant metal together with radioactive emission control materials, the radioactive emission control materials being present in the storage mixture in an effective ratio with radioactive material decomposition constituents in the storage mixture to limit radiation emissions from the storage mixture; and

(d) cooling the storage mixture in one or more molds to form a solidified storage product for the radioactive material decomposition constituents.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the article comprises one or more pieces of a nuclear reactor fuel rod or one or more whole fuel rods.

3. The method of claim 1 further including the step of encapsulating each solidified storage product in a radiation shielding material.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of producing the storage mixture includes combining radioactive emission control materials and liquid reactant metal after placing the article in contact with the liquid reactant metal.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of producing the storage mixture includes combining radioactive emission control materials and liquid reactant metal prior to placing the article in contact with the liquid reactant metal.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of placing the article in contact with the liquid reactant metal includes tilting the treatment vessel from a loading position to a treatment position.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of placing the article in contact with the liquid reactant metal includes transferring liquid reactant metal into the treatment vessel from a separate vessel.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the step of pouring the storage mixture from the treatment vessel into one or more molds.

9. A method of treating a target material in a liquid reactant metal, the method including the steps of:

(a) loading a target material in a treatment vessel;

(b) containing a volume of liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel;

(c) tilting the treatment vessel to place the target material in contact with the liquid reactant metal; and

(d) removing reaction products from the treatment vessel.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of loading the target material in the treatment vessel includes loading the target material into a containment area defined in the treatment vessel.

11. The method of claim 10 further including the step of tilting the treatment vessel to a loading position and maintaining the treatment vessel in the loading position during the step of loading a target material into the containment area, the containment area residing above the level of the liquid reactant metal in the treatment chamber when the treatment chamber is in the loading position.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of tilting the treatment vessel to place the target material in contact with the liquid reactant metal comprises tilting the treatment vessel to a treatment position in which the containment area resides below the level of the liquid reactant metal in the treatment chamber.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of removing reaction products from the treatment vessel includes pouring liquid reactant metal and reaction products entrained in the liquid reactant metal from the treatment vessel.

14. A method of treating a target material in a liquid reactant metal, the method including the steps of:

(a) loading a target material into a containment area defined in a treatment vessel and holding the target material in the containment area;

(b) placing the containment area below a level of liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel to place the target material in contact with the liquid reactant metal; and

(c) removing reaction products from the treatment vessel.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of placing the containment area below the level of liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel includes tilting the treatment vessel to a treatment position.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of placing the containment area below the level of liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel includes adding the liquid reactant metal to the treatment vessel.

17. An apparatus for treating materials with a liquid reactant metal, the apparatus including:

(a) a treatment vessel capable of containing a liquid reactant metal;

(b) a target material containment structure located within the treatment vessel and defining a containment area;

(c) a reactant contacting arrangement for placing the containment area below a level of liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel to place target material loaded in the target material containment structure in contact with the liquid reactant metal; and

(d) a reaction product removal arrangement connected to the treatment vessel.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the reactant contacting arrangement includes a tilting mechanism connected to the treatment vessel to enable the treatment vessel to tilt between a contacting position and a loading position, wherein the containment area is above the level of the liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel when the treatment vessel is in the loading position.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the reactant contacting arrangement includes a conditioning vessel and a transfer arrangement for transferring a sufficient volume of the liquid reactant metal from the conditioning vessel to the treatment vessel to place the containment arrangement below the level of the liquid reactant metal in the treatment chamber.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the reaction product removal arrangement includes a collection vessel connected to receive liquid reactant metal and entrained reaction products from the treatment vessel.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 further including a tilting mechanism connected to the treatment vessel for moving the treatment vessel from a treatment position to a pouring position to pour liquid reactant metal and entrained reaction products from the treatment vessel to the collection vessel.